Pregnancy Week by Week

There are very few people in this world who are able to plan their pregnancy well before time but there are still many who manage to get a healthy pregnancy without any prior planning or preparation. Although, it is not always possible to plan the pregnancy in advance, but if you manage to get the time to maintain a good health and body fitness, you can expect to have a healthy pregnancy and definitely a healthy baby.

This article is an effort to provide you an account of week by week analysis of pregnancy, i.e. complications and changes that occur progressively with every coming week.

It often happens that as soon as a woman comes to know about her pregnancy, she becomes worried about different aspects of pregnancy such as sickness, body shape, weight, medication, diet and so on. There are numerous things that come in the mind of a woman who conceives. However, there is nothing such to worry about as we are here to help you out.

Pregnancy Weeks

Pregnancy weeks are in fact classified into three stages, i.e. early pregnancy, mid-pregnancy and late pregnancy. Early pregnancy is the period between 1 to 12th week, mid-pregnancy however based on 13th to 28th week and the late pregnancy period is from 29th to 40th week. All these three stages are characterized by different sings and symptoms of pregnancy.

In this article, our aim is to cover all the three stages of pregnancy so that you will be able to understand that what you should expect and what you should do during all the three stages of pregnancy. These guidelines will help you have a healthy pregnancy free of any complications.

It is advisable that you must get yourself ready at least 3 months before you decide to conceive. If you expand this time duration that will even bring better results for you. Planning well before getting pregnant will help you focus on your healthy lifestyle. Take nutritious diet; quit all the bad habits such as smoking, drugs etc. to ensure that you have a healthy pregnancy and eventually a healthy baby.

Nutrition in Pregnancy Period

Your nutrition is the most important part of your preparation plan. As you know that your baby gets all the required nourishment from your body reserves, the early weeks are extremely important for the growth of your baby. In the initial stages of pregnancy when you are not even aware of your pregnancy, the healthy diet you take will help in your baby growth. There are certain nutrients which you need to have in your body in excess for the proper growth of your baby such as folic acid.

The consumption of folic acid will lessen the risks of having a baby with a neural defect by 50-70 percent like spina bifida. It is recommended to take 0.4mg of folic acid supplement once a day for three months before the pregnancy and continue to take it for initial 12 weeks.

Pregnancy Supplements

Having a balanced diet prior to getting pregnant will ensure you that your body has enough amounts of essential vitamins and minerals necessary for the growth of your baby. There are few supplements rich in multivitamin developed specifically for pregnancy. These supplements are extremely helpful in case you follow a restricted diet plan, e.g. vegetarian etc.

Changing Bad Habits in Pregnancy

It is always necessary to alter your life style before you plan to get pregnant. Quitting your bad habits is certainly a great thing to start with such as quit smoking, alcohol or drug abuse etc. it has been that the initial month of pregnancy is more critical as far as development of the baby is concerned because such habits can result in alcohol related defects in your baby.

Weight Change in Pregnancy Weeks

Having an appropriate weight before planning to get pregnant is another important aspect of pregnancy. Your fertility can be affected by your weight, i.e. being overweight or underweight both conditions are not considered good as far as pregnancy and fertility are concerned. Getting involved in crash dieting, yo-yo dieting and extreme exercise do have an adverse affect on your pregnancy as well as ovulation. Either you want to reduce your weight or want to increase your weight you need to do it very carefully and watchfully and that too well before conceiving. Avoid eating diets which are rich in sugar contents, fats rather go for nutritious, balanced diet plan.

Pregnancy Health Checks

It is all important to talk to your gynecologist or midwife about certain health problems that you have had in last few months. Feel free to talk about anything as this is extremely important for your coming baby. Tell them clearly about any medications, herbal supplements or any other such treatment which you had or still having. Have your thorough check up to ensure that you are healthy enough to get pregnant.

Short gap between pregnancies is also not advisable. At least one year gap is required between full term pregnancies.